Will of D.
In the One Piece fictional universe, few characters have the middle initial "D". This mysterious middle initial has been called "the Will of the D" (Dの一族, D No Ichizoku) or "D's will" by several characters in One Piece. Some translations refer to it as "Gol D's will" in reference to Gol D. Roger, the late pirate king. The English dub by 4Kids chooses to refer to the D as the "the Spirit of Gol. D". In the recap supplement Grand Line Times, they were referred to those who carry it as "The man of D."Grand Line Times. What is the D? It is not clear what the significance of the shared middle initial is, but it appears that all share a similar faith in their own (and others') dreams and/or destiny. Furthermore, they seem to be able to withstand incredible punishment in battle and only surrender to death when they know there truly is no way of avoiding it. In Oda's SBS questions and answers corner, he was asked what the D in Luffy's name stood for. Oda just replied to read it as a D for now and that he would reveal the truth behind it in time. SBS questions: One Piece Manga - Vol.8 Chapter 70, Fan question: What does the D in Luffy's name mean? This was the first time Luffy's 'D' was brought up, as well as Oda's first hint towards a bigger mystery. In the storyline, Dr. Kureha is the first to mention The Will Of D and it was revealed by her that Gold Roger's (the late pirate king) true name was Gol D. Roger. She tells Dalton that Chopper has joined up with a very dangerous man. One Piece - Episode 91 and One Piece Manga - Vol.17 Chapter 154, Dr. Kureha talking about Luffy and the D. Recently, Robin tried to ask Silvers Rayleigh about the significance of The Will Of D at the same time as mentioning the Void Century. While he did not reply on what the D stood for, Silvers stated that they (The Jolly Roger Pirates) discovered the details on the Void Century, but when he offers to tell her, she turns down his information. Robin agrees to discover the truth herself. Family One clue about those who carry the "D" was left by Saul who specifically said that while he didn't know the meaning of the initial, he did know everyone in his family carried it in their names. One Piece Manga - Vol.41 Chapter 392, What is the relationship between the Ds? . So far, its seems that the Ds all may indeed be related to each other. One Piece Manga - Vol.18 Chapter 159, What is the relationship between the Ds? Luffy does have a grandfather, Vice-Admiral Garp, whose full name is Monkey D. Garp. Luffy is also the son of the revolutionary Monkey D. Dragon. In addition, Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace, has also been revealed to be blood related to Monkey D. Dragon and Monkey D. Garp as well. Known Family Names *Monkey *Gol *Marshall *Jaguar The Concept of Death An odd trait of the D's is related to death. Often they are seen laughing or smiling greatly when they are about to die, as if they seem to accept their death when they cannot escape it and display no apparent fear toward death. The reactions of many characters who witness this is often shock or disbelief because it is hard to imagine anyone not being afraid of dying at all. So far this strange habit has been shown 3 times: * Witnesses claim Gol D. Roger died smiling during his execution. * 22 years later one of those witnesses, Captain Smoker, witnessed Luffy smiling in the same manner as Gol D. Roger when Buggy was about to kill him. * Nico Robin also witnessed Saul laughing and smiling as he was frozen by Aokiji . One Piece - Episode 52, One Piece Manga - Vol.11 Chapter 99 and One Piece Manga - Vol.41 Chapter 397, The strange laughter/smile before death There was almost a fourth instance which was the duel between Ace and Blackbeard, in which Ace smiles before his final attack against Blackbeard. He did not die and was only defeated and sent to Impel Down but probably thought he would either win or die. Blackbeard was also smiling and even laughing.One Piece Manga, Chapter 441 Their Knowledge on Themselves The biggest mystery with the D's is that those that carry the D. themselves do not know fully what it means either. When asked by Nico Robin why those that carry the D. fight, Monkey D. Luffy was completely clueless about what she was talking about. Jaguar D. Saul also displayed an absence of knowledge on the subject of the D when she asked him what it meant. One Piece - Episode 111, One Piece Manga - Vol.20 Chapter 180 and One Piece Manga - Vol.41 Chapter 392, The D's response to their own name Known Carriers of the Initial D Alive At 17 Luffy is the youngest pictured D. carrier thus far in the story. Monkey D. Garp appears to be the oldest known living carrier of the D. Thus far in the story, there have been no female D's. *Monkey D. Luffy (Known as "Straw Hat Luffy"): Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates *Portgas D. Ace (Formerly Monkey D. Ace, known as "Fire Fist Ace"): Commander of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates *Monkey D. Dragon (Known as "Revolutionary Dragon"): Leader of the Revolutionaries *Monkey D. Garp (Known as "Garp the Fist"): Marine Vice Admiral *Marshall D. Teach (Known as "Blackbeard"): Former subordinate of the Whitebeard Pirates second division, Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, Shichibukai member Deceased In the present storyline, Roger has been dead for 22 years. Saul has been dead for twenty years. Saul was a giant, making him the only apparent non-human "man of D" in the storyline. As a giant, his age may have been anywhere up to 300 years (the normal lifespan of a giant). *Gol D. Roger (Known as "Pirate King"): Captain of the Jolly Roger Pirates; Turned himself in for execution after being diagnosed with a fatal illness. *Jaguar D. Saul: Former Marine Vice Admiral; Killed by Vice Admiral Kuzan for betraying the Marines. References See also *Nico Robin *Gold Roger Category:Will of D